


Awakening

by FrostKitten



Series: The Samaya Court [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types
Genre: Abandonment, Abused Pokemon Rescue, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Animal Abuse, Anxiety, Blackouts, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Episode: s00e01, Episode: s00e02, Family, Friendship, Furious Battle - A Shadow Game, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Death, Pokemon Training, Possession, Shadow Games, Shadow Magic is Addicting, Shadow Realm, Unconventional Uses for Shadow Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh Season Zero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:21:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostKitten/pseuds/FrostKitten
Summary: "Whosoever solves this puzzle shall inherit the knowledge and power of legends." Yuugi thought that meant it would grant his wish. And it did.It just also meant so much more.
Relationships: Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi (one-sided), Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Yami Yuugi (one-sided)
Series: The Samaya Court [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1702207
Comments: 12
Kudos: 20





	1. Furious Battle pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Several chapters already written, so aiming for once a week updates for the foreseeable future, somewhere around Monday nights/Tuesday mornings. R&R.

The air was unusually warm for spring in the Kanto region of the world. Domino City, which sat near the coast, felt warmer still. The students of Domino High, particularly class 1-B, were taking advantage of it for their lunch break.

“Hey, who’s up for basketball?”

“Let’s invite the girls to play!”

“Yuugi,” a dark haired boy called. A short student with dark, red-tipped spiky hair peeked shyly up from under dyed blond bangs. “You should come play with us! It’ll be fun.”

Yuugi shook his head rapidly, grinning apologetically. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Besides, any team _I’m_ on will just lose.”

“Yeah, but—” The student sighed, then shrugged. “I guess that’s true.” The boy left without even looking back, tucking the basketball under his arm and running to catch up with the rest of the class.

Yuugi looked down at his cards. He had brought them with him because it was a popular game and he thought maybe someone would want to play, but…“I guess no one wants to play Pokemon today,” he whispered, slouching down. He barely interacted with the other students in his class, barely spoke to anyone, so sometimes he spoke to himself just to hear something. “That sucks. Maybe I should stop bringing them…but they were talking about starting that club, that could be fun…” 

He sat back in his chair. A couple students had mentioned starting a Pokemon club just so they could have something not related to school. But it would require a petition and Chono- _sensei_ was notorious for opposing “non-essential” things like that. 

“Oh, I know! I can work on my treasure today.” Yuugi sat up and dug through his bag for the small gold box he carried with him constantly. It was covered in old runes formed of circles and spindly lines. They looked almost like the English alphabet used in Unova and Kalos, but the circle-within-a-circle thing always threw him off when he tried to read it. And he wasn’t exactly good at English, either. 

He popped open the lid. It was filled with jagged gold objects, most of them with sharp edges and smooth sides, except for three pieces with a raised design, one of which was an eye. “I wonder how far I can get with you today…”

The lid snapped shut under the weight of a large, long-fingered hand. “Talking to yourself again, Yuugi?”

“Jounouchi- _kun_!” Yuugi looked up with wide amethyst eyes. Jounouchi Katsuya was a blond teen with messily styled hair who, like Yuugi, wore the dark blue slacks and jacket of Domino High’s winter uniform. Why was Jounouchi in here instead of out playing basketball with the others?

“What _is_ this thing, anyway?” Jounouchi held the box up, tilting his head in curiosity, locks of blond hair falling out of place.

Yuugi bit his lip. “Okay, you can look at it, but don’t lose any of the pieces! It’s my treasure, it’s important to me.” 

Jounouchi opened the lid. “What the hell is this?” He glared at Yuugi. “You’re annoying, you know that? Going on about this special treasure, and it’s just a puzzle! Makes you sound like a girl.” He poked the loose pieces, picking one out and holding it up. “It’s about time someone taught you to man up. You want this back?” Yuugi nodded, biting his lip fretfully. What did Jounouchi mean? “Tell you what, then. You attack me, full-force, and I _might_ give it back. Give me everything you got!”

“Wha—?” Understanding dawned on Yuugi—Jounouchi wanted him to hit him! Or at least try. Yuugi knew Jounouchi’s reputation, Yuugi wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on him. “No, I hate fighting!”

Jounouchi held the box over Yuugi’s head, out of reach. “Guess you’re never getting it back, then!”

“Jounouchi, is that you?” Hiroto Honda, the classroom beautification officer, stuck his head in the door. “Why aren’t you outside?” He looked at Jounouchi, then at Yuugi. “Come on, Jou, give it back to him.”

“Why? It’s dumb, anyway.” Jounouchi closed the box and tossed it at Honda, who scrambled to catch it without dropping it. Before he could, however, another, more delicate hand snatched it out of the air, saving the puzzle from spilling out onto the floor.

“If it’s so dumb, you should have given it back to Yuugi,” a feminine voice scolded.

“Mazaki!” Jounouchi yelped, stumbling slightly. “Where the hell did you come from?!”

“Anzu!” Yuugi grinned, his cheeks reddening slightly when he saw the brunette. He and Anzu had been best friends all through elementary school, until she ended up in a different middle school. When they realized they were in the same class at Domino High, though, their friendship picked up again like it never stopped.

“If you and Honda are only going to cause trouble, you should leave.” Anzu glared at the bigger boys. Honda tried to protest, but it was lost on her.

“Whatever, Mazaki.” Jounouchi glared back, then turned deliberately to Yuugi. “You really need a girl to stick up for you?” he taunted.

“Will you just shut up already?” Anzu snarled. There was a soft gasp, making them all look around. A cute girl with pale purple hair looked at them with mournful, watery eyes. “Miho!” Anzu grinned weakly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you.”

“Miho- _chan_!” Honda and Jounouchi both tried to get her attention, tripping over each other.

Like Anzu, Miho wore the girl’s winter uniform—a pink blouse with a blue knee-length skirt and a bow on the blouse’s front. Her lilac hair was pulled back and held in place with a yellow bow, her bangs partially covering her eyes and lending her a shy appearance. She batted her eyes at the boys, pulling their attention from Anzu and Yuugi completely. “I came to find Anzu for lunch. I haven’t eaten yet.”

“I’ll go buy you something!” Jounouchi and Honda yelled together. Yuugi blinked as they both tried—and somehow succeeded, wow, look at that—to squeeze out the door at the same time. He cautiously poked his head out the door, wary Jounouchi at least would remember he had been busy teasing Yuugi, but was barely fast enough to see them rounding the corner, well on their way to the lunch room.

“Wow, Miho,” Yuugi said, “they’re already gone!”

Miho bit her lip, but her eyes sparkled. “They really shouldn’t run so fast. The line was really long when I was there, they’ll probably just end up waiting.”

Yuugi giggled. “Thanks, both of you,” he said sincerely. “But Anzu, weren’t you playing basketball outside? Why did you come in?”

Anzu snorted and dropped into the empty seat in front of him, setting the box carefully in front of him. “Oh, that. The boys were passing to the girls a lot, and I thought it was weird. Then I saw them looking up the girls’ skirts when they made a shot! No way am I putting up with that.”

“Yeah, that’s awful…” Yuugi said, his face turning bright red. Wonder what Anzu’s panties…nope, he scolded himself. Anzu was a fun, strong person, what panties she was wearing was the _least_ important thing about her.

“So what was Jounouchi-kun bothering you about?” Miho asked, linking her fingers behind her back.

“Oh! Um, this.” Yuugi tapped the box. “It’s my most precious treasure, my Millennium Puzzle.” He drew a fingertip down the side. “See these markings? They’re runes. They’re found around the world. The Millennium Puzzle was found in a ruin near the Hoenn coast, but the ruin didn’t really mention it anywhere, so they don’t know if it belonged to that civilization or if it was moved there later.” He cracked a grin. “I bet it says something like ‘whoever solves this puzzle will be granted one wish’ or something.”

“Wow, Yuugi! Where’d you get something like that?” Anzu exclaimed.

“I found it in the attic one day. _Jii-chan_ was the one who found it, I guess, years ago, when Hoenn still let adventurers keep part of their finds.” He laughed slightly. “He said that’s why they changed the law so soon after, so they wouldn’t lose any more valuable artifacts.”

Anzu raised an eyebrow. “And he lets you just run around with a valuable artifact?”

“I’m careful with it,” Yuugi defended, placing one hand over the box. 

“I know you are. Sorry, Yuugi, I was only teasing,” Anzu said apologetically. “Why would you let Katsuya look at it, though? He doesn’t exactly like you.”

“Jounouchi- _kun’s_ not so bad,” Yuugi said softly. He looked away from her. “He just wanted me to man up, that’s all.” He looked up, grinning weakly. “Besides, you scared him off pretty quick.” 

“If I’m nice, I get walked on,” she pointed out, leaning back in her chair. “The same goes for you—you have to stand up to them, at least once in a while, otherwise they won’t leave you be.”

“I guess…” Maybe Anzu was right, he thought glumly. But he hated fighting. 

“Wow, it’s so pretty!” Miho exclaimed, pulling their attention back to the puzzle. She stroked one of the Puzzle pieces. “What did you wish for?”

Yuugi shook his head and lifted himself out of his thoughts. “That’s absolutely top secret! It won’t come true if I tell you guys.”

* * *

Anzu was already gone by the time Yuugi was ready to leave at the end of the day. He pouted slightly—he had been hoping to offer to walk her home. Oh well, he thought, another day. Tomorrow, maybe. He ran outside, following the crowd but sticking to the edge of it—being in the middle of a crowd was uncomfortable at best when you were as small as he was.

“Yuugi Mutou.” Yuugi paused and turned, head tilting slightly. He swallowed when he saw who it was—Ushio, president of the Disciplinary Committee.

“Um, yes, that’s me.” Yuugi took an instinctive step back. Ushio was _huge_. 

“I wanted to check in with you, Yuugi,” Ushio said seriously. “Are you being bullied by your classmates?”

“Wha—? No!” Yuugi shook his head hard, slightly taken aback by the direct question. “No, of course not! Why would you ask that?”

“Of course you would say that,” Ushio said, shaking his head regretfully. “Victims always stand up for their abusers.” The young man smiled, and Yuugi was pretty sure he meant it to be reassuring, but there was something off about it he didn’t like. “Don’t worry anymore, Yuugi. I will be your bodyguard from now on. I’ll make sure no one bullies you ever again.”

“I don’t need a bodyguard, Ushio- _san_ ,” Yuugi insisted. “I’m not being bullied, I promise. I-I have to get home now, though. Goodbye!”

He dashed away before Ushio could say anything else, backpack bouncing against his shoulder. “Weirdo,” he muttered. “Why does he even care?”

He tried to shake off the weird feeling he got from the encounter, but the unease clung to him all the way home.

* * *

“ _Jii-chan_ , I’m home!” Yuugi pushed the front door of the _Kame_ Game Shop open, the bell ringing cheerfully to announce his arrival.

“Welcome home!” Sugoroku called cheerfully from the counter. He was as tall as Yuugi and wore green overalls, a white long sleeved shirt, and an orange bandanna. At one point in his life he had had black hair in spikes similar to Yuugi’s, but now his hair was a solid steel color and the spikes drooped slightly. The customer he was with turned, smiling cheerfully.

“Hey, Yuugi!” 

“Anzu!” Yuugi grinned. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to surprise you,” she said. She looked around. “Seems like it’s been forever since I’ve been in here.”

“Not since middle school,” Sugoroku agreed, scratching his beard. “Anzu was just telling me about the Millennium Puzzle. You still haven’t given that up?”

“Of course not,” Yuugi said cheerfully. “I’ve spent so long on it, I bet I’ll solve it any day now!”

His grandfather shook his head. “It might be better if you didn’t,” he said seriously. “That puzzle is beyond human knowledge, Yuugi. It does not want to be solved. Did I ever tell you about what happened on that expedition?” Yuugi shook his head, eyes wide, and Anzu scooted closer, drawn by the irresistible pull of one of Sugoroku’s adventures. It made it harder to concentrate on his grandfather’s story—she was right there! She was almost touching him! But he managed. “We found the remains of a series of tombs, probably belonging to an ancient civilization that lived in Hoenn. This tomb had been harder than most to open, and most of the traps were still intact. 

“I wish cameras had been more portable then. The walls were full of carvings of strange creatures, and of course the ancient language archaeologists have found all over the world. It was a long, hard journey to get inside…” Sugoroku trailed off, eyes unfocused as he drifted in memory. “A lot of things happened in that tomb…I won’t get into all of them. But that puzzle was there at the end, instead of the embalmed body we expected. Of course I was able to retrieve it and bring it home.”

“And Hoenn decided any artifacts found were theirs, instead of letting explorers take part of it,” Yuugi concluded. 

“Yes, but that’s not all,” Sugoroku said, wagging a finger at them. “Several of my team died in that tomb.” Anzu gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. “Oh, yes. Many got sick before we even started exploring—those poor people died afterward. But some of them, the ones who didn’t get sick, died because of traps inside. That tomb was said to have been cursed.” He pointed to the letters adorning the side of the box. “Do you know what this says, Yuugi?” Yuugi shook his head, eyes wide. “It says, ‘Whosoever solves this puzzle shall inherit the knowledge and power of legends.’”

“That sounds so cool!” Yuugi gushed. He held up the box. “Makes me want to solve it even more!”

“Yuugi, no!” Anzu pleaded. “It’s dangerous! What if it’s cursed or something? You should give it up.”

“Anzu’s right,” Sugoroku urged. “I…” He seemed to consider what to say, then continued. “I decided when I brought that puzzle home that I would never try to solve it. I believe that’s why I’m the only survivor of my team. But you, Yuugi? You were a kid, and I think that protected you, but you aren’t anymore.”

“No way!” Yuugi said hotly. He held the box to his chest. “To me it sounds like it’ll grant my wish after all. And nothing bad has ever happened to me!” 

“Except when Katsuya and the other boys bully you,” Anzu pointed out dryly.

“Jounouchi- _kun_ just wants me to man up,” Yuugi said lightly. “And the others are only teasing, they’re not being mean.”

“You’re father—” Sugoroku began. Then he hesitated.

“ _Tou-san_ is working overseas,” Yuugi said firmly, after a few moments’ pause. “He can’t afford to fly back and forth all the time.” 

Sugoroku sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Yuugi, I know you’re right on that.” He glared at the counter top. “It has nothing to do with the Millennium Puzzle.”

Anzu was giving him a look, but suddenly Yuugi didn’t want to hang out anymore. “I have homework,” he announced, “and then I should probably get some sleep.” He smiled brittlely. “It’s been a long day. I’m sorry, Anzu.”

“Yuugi—”

He turned and fled through the door connecting the shop to the house.

* * *

That night Yuugi worked on the Puzzle, forgoing his homework entirely. It was a welcome distraction after…he shook his head. He wasn’t going there. It was a bad idea.

So of course his brain went there anyway, he thought bitterly, half-formed thoughts on the subject popping up and fading out. He sighed and let himself think on it.

So what if his father had been gone for years, since around the time he found the Puzzle? That didn’t mean the Puzzle was responsible. Curses weren’t real!

The pieces clicked together almost reluctantly.

So what if his father hadn’t written or called in over a year? That wasn’t because of the Puzzle. His father was just busy, that was all.

He fell asleep at his desk, the Puzzle next to him partially complete.


	2. Furious Battle pt 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuugi has a run-in with Ushio and solves the Puzzle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about missing last night's upload! I completely forgot, then by the time I remembered I was already at work.
> 
> *At the time of the anime, that was $1600. In the manga it’s listed as $2000. As of writing, it is $1846.20.

“Yuugi!” There was a firm rap on the door. “Are you awake?” 

Yuugi started, then stretched and yawned. “I’m up, _Kaa-san_ ,” he called. “I’ll be right down!”

“Hurry, or you’ll be late for school,” his mother, Kimiko, scolded through the door.

Yuugi blinked, looked at the clock, and yelped. What happened to his alarm?! He shot out of his chair so hard it fell and hit the ground with a loud bang. He had to leave in fifteen minutes! Where was his other school uniform? He had fallen asleep without changing yesterday, he would need to switch…he pulled the set from his dresser, then turned and paused.

His puzzle was sitting on the desk, glinting innocently at him. He had made quite a bit of progress on it, more than he had managed before—a line of pieces extended down and ended with a small triangular piece that looked like the only other pieces that would fit would extend back up. There were two shorter lines of pieces across the top (or maybe the bottom, but from where he set it, it was the top). Together they seemed to form edges of the puzzle. Maybe not all of them, but enough to suggest a shape. He drifted over. Maybe…

“Yuugi!”

His mother’s shriek jolted him from his thoughts. He quickly pulled the pieces apart and scooped them into the box, then tucked the box into his bag. Then he raced out of his room and down the stairs. “Coming!”

Maybe if he had woken up earlier he could have kept working on the puzzle. As it was, he barely had time to grab some toast before he had to run off to school.

* * *

Yuugi slowed to a walk as he reached the school, gasping for breath. He wasn’t exactly out of shape, per se, but he had run pretty fast to get here on time. Actually, maybe a little early, he thought; there were still students lounging in groups in front. The bell hadn’t even rung yet.

“Yuugi.” 

He cringed at Ushio’s voice, then fixed his face into something approaching his normal cheer. Why couldn’t Ushio just leave him be? “Yes, Ushio- _san_?”

“Follow me,” the older teen commanded. He didn’t wait for a response, just turned and walked away. Yuugi didn’t dare _not_ follow—even if Ushio wasn’t physically dragging him, one did not defy the president of the Disciplinary Committee, especially not when said president had the teachers so far under his thumb they implemented whatever rules he told them to. 

Ushio led him through the grass-covered area around the side of the school until they got to a quiet little alcove in the back, away from the view of the students out front and with no windows the teachers might watch through.

Jounouchi and Honda were laid against the wall. Honda seemed entirely unconscious. Jounouchi groaned in pain, blood streaking down the front of his face from his lip and nose, one eye swollen shut.

Yuugi froze, his stomach twisting sickeningly. “Ushio- _san_ , what happened to them?”

“They were bullying you, so I decided the Disciplinary Committee should teach them a lesson of what happens to bullies.” Ushio looked inordinately pleased. Yuugi was reminded of a half-feral stray that used to hang around the shop—he had fed it a few times, and it started bringing him dead birds. It had a very similar look then, too. “I sent the rest of the Committee away. I thought you would want to see them.”

“M-Mutou,” Jounouchi coughed, twitching. “You bastard…you asked for this…?”

Yuugi flinched, then ran over to him. “No! Jounouchi- _kun_ , no, you have to believe me, I never would have asked for this—!”

“Move, runt.” Ushio grabbed Yuugi roughly by the arm and shoved him away. “I’m not done punishing them yet.” He aimed a hard kick at Jounouchi’s stomach.

“Stop it!” Yuugi forced himself between Jounouchi and Ushio, holding his arms out like he could shield them. “Leave them alone! I didn’t ask you for this, I never wanted this…they’re my friends, Ushio- _san_ , I want you to leave them alone!”

“Friends?” Ushio blinked, then roared with laughter. “Friends, you call them…you’re strange, you know that, Yuugi? They’ve spent the entire year picking on you—friends don’t do that!” Ushio’s face took a more serious note and he gestured to the two victims. “You should want to hurt them! Kick them, punch them—now is your chance to get even!”

Yuugi shook his head. “Honda- _kun_ has never picked on me, not once. And Jounouchi- _kun_ only wanted to help teach me to be a man. They were trying to help me, and that’s exactly what friends do. Please, Ushio- _san_ ,” he begged, “leave them alone.”

Ushio snorted. “If that’s what you want, then fine, I’ll leave them alone.”

“Thank y—”

“However.”

Yuugi paused, looking at Ushio, trepidation turning his stomach into a sluggish pit. Ushio gave him an almost light-hearted grin. “You still owe me the bodyguard fee.”

“B-bodyguard fee—?” Yuugi pulled away slightly. “But I never agreed to have you as a bodyguard! I told you I didn’t need one!”

“Then call it protection money, I don’t really care.” Ushio leaned over him, and Yuugi was suddenly very aware of how much larger than him the other student was. “You owe me 200,000 yen*.”

Yuugi gasped, his heart racing in his chest. “Ushio-san, I can’t, where would I even get that much money?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.”

“If you’re upset about not being able to beat up Jounouchi- _kun_ and Honda- _kun_ , then you can beat me up in their place! But I can’t get that much money.” Yuugi never though he would ask to be beaten up, but what choice did he have? 

“I’m not going to beat you up like these two, Yuugi,” Ushio said softly. He grabbed Yuugi by the collar, lifting him easily. “I don’t pick on people like that. I’m not a bully.” He gave Yuugi a serious look. “This is a warning, and a reminder—this could have been avoided.” He threw Yuugi to the ground and kicked him in the stomach.

Yuugi gasped and fought down the urge to revisit breakfast. Ushio crouched next to him and grabbed him by the hair, lifting his head up so Yuugi was forced to face him and making him cry out softly.

“Consider this to also be a warning.” Ushio pulled a knife from his pocket, holding it in front of Yuugi’s face. “You _will_ bring me 200,000 yen tomorrow, or your next lesson will be with _this_. Am I clear?” He didn’t give Yuugi a chance to do more than whimper in response. He dropped the teen back down and left.

Some time later—it felt like forever, and he knew the bell had certainly rung, but he knew it couldn’t have been more than an hour—Yuugi finally forced himself to his feet. Jounouchi and Honda were out cold, finally passing out from the pain. They needed to go to the nurse’s office, he thought dimly. Yuugi wanted to make sure Ushio hadn’t done any permanent damage to them. But through all that, the thought beat around his head, leaving him feeling sicker than Ushio’s kick could ever manage.

How was he going to come up with 200,000 yen?

* * *

No matter how much he thought about it, Yuugi couldn’t come up with an answer. The question plagued him all day. How would he get Ushio’s money? The only solution Yuugi could see was to ask his grandfather, but he didn’t want to have to explain what happened. Sugoroku had been worried enough when Yuugi had come home early, clearly having “fought” with someone.

Of course, he could also steal it from the till in the shop, but that didn’t even bear consideration. Yuugi was in dire straights, but he hadn’t sunk _that_ low, or at least he liked to think so.

So what to do?

As always when he had a problem, his hands searched for something to fiddle with. He couldn’t seem to ever sit still, and he knew that was why he had some problems in school—he was tapping his pencil while he tried to remember some fact or figure (which disturbed other students), playing with some toy while he studied, and whenever he had an issue to think over, his hands inevitably found themselves reaching for a puzzle of some kind.

So it wasn’t entirely surprising when he found himself opening the box to the Millennium Puzzle. He plucked the first couple pieces out almost unconsciously, working to see if they could fit together. They didn’t, so he placed one on his desk and picked another from the box.

What was he even doing, he thought glumly. He should be finding a solution, not playing a game!

_Click._

How was he supposed to get Ushio’s money?

_Click._

The Puzzle seemed to be coming together much more easily than before, he noted distantly. He had already reached the point he had last night, and he had only started on it a few minutes ago.

_Click. Click click._

Should he ask his grandfather after all? Or maybe Anzu? No, he thought firmly, shaking his head. Telling Anzu would be beyond mortifying, and Sugoroku would want to go to the police. And while Yuugi could acknowledge that would technically be the “right” move, it stung.

_Click click click._

It stung that he was even in this position.

_Click click click—_

He hated it. Despair choked him, making him gasp. He had always had bullies, true, but he had always kept his head down, done what they asked, and they didn’t bother him too much. He was a boring target.

_Click click—_

Now he had been placed in an untenable position and he had no idea what to do. He was unable to do what the bully wanted. The “right” solution was too humiliating. But if he did nothing he would end up in even worse shape, probably in the hospital, if Ushio’s threat with the knife wasn’t just a bluff.

_Click click click click—_

He needed a different solution, a different angle. There had to be a way to beat Ushio at his own game—what the hell was he thinking, that wasn’t even a possibility either. Ushio was too big for Yuugi to fight head on. He needed…

_Click click click—_

…he needed a friend, a true friend who would be able to help him and wouldn’t judge him or humiliate him for needing it.

_Click._

Yuugi broke from his thoughts with a start. The Puzzle almost seemed to stare up at him, and he stared back in awe.

It was almost complete. The shape of it was revealed—a pyramid with a loop on the top. There was just one space left, dead center of the front-facing surface. It was the only design on the pyramid besides the lines of the puzzle pieces. He couldn’t wait to see what it was! He reached into the box, and excited grin breaking over his face, and for a moment Ushio was forgotten—

—only for his fingers to meet the bottom of the empty box.

“What?” He looked over at it. Empty. “No!”

It was almost done! Where was the last piece? He couldn’t have lost it! He lifted the Puzzle, the box, his notebooks, searched his entire desktop, but it wasn’t there. He checked his drawers in case it fell when he picked up the pieces that morning, under the desk in case it fell there, but it wasn’t either of those places.

“It has to be here,” he wailed, diving to the floor to check under his bed. Had he kicked it there? He threw the covers back to get some light, climbed as far under as he could, but nothing there either. His dresser? He checked under it, behind it, in the drawers, where could it be?

“Yuugi?”

Yuugi tried to stand and yelped when his head connected to the bottom of his desk. He had been searching there again, because where else could it be? “ _Jii-chan_?”

“Your room’s even more of a mess than usual,” Sugoroku commented, eyeing the mess warily. “Have you lost something?”

To Yuugi’s utter mortification, the question was enough to bring tears to his eyes. Later, he figured it was too much—losing the last piece of the Puzzle on top of Ushio’s demands and threats. But in that moment, he was so embarrassed by his crying that he wished he could sink into the floor. Jounouchi was right, he thought bitterly, he acted way too much like a girl.

“Yuugi, what’s wrong?” Sugoroku asked, alarmed. He crossed the room and knelt down next to him. “What’s happened?”

“I l-lost the l-las-t piece o-of the Puzzle,” he managed to sob. “I-it’s gone, I c-can’t fin-nd it, I-I-I’ll never s-solve it no-ow!”

Sugoroku blinked, then looked up at the desk. “Ah, you solved it! How wonderful!”

Yuugi wiped his wrist across his face, trying to rub the tears away. “No, the l-last piece is m-mis-sing. I-I can’t s-solve it. I’ll n-ne-ver solve i-it.”

“Yuugi, my boy,” Sugoroku said gently, “have a little more faith, will you?” Yuugi looked up at him, sniffling. His grandfather pulled something from his pocket, giving it to Yuugi with a gentle smile. “You’ve spent the last eight years pouring your heart and soul into this puzzle. I don’t think it’s going to ignore that.”

Yuugi gasped, his breath hitching. It was the last piece of the Puzzle! “W-where…? Was i-it downst-airs?”

“A young man with long blond hair stopped by just now,” Sugoroku explained. “It was strange, though—it wasn’t cloudy and it hasn’t rained all day, but he was soaking wet! He said he was a friend of yours, a tall fellow, looked a little roughed up.”

“Jou-Jounouchi- _kun_?” Yuugi asked, his tears finally slowing to a stop.

“Ah yes, that’s his name!” Sugoroku smiled and wiped a few traces of tears from Yuugi’s face. “See, it’s not so bad now, is it?”

“Thank you, _Jii-chan_ ,” Yuugi said, smiling softly.

“You’re welcome.” The older man sighed and got up from the floor with a groan. “Now, I’d best go finish cleaning up the shop for the day.” He paused at the door, then looked back. “Yuugi? You would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”

Yuugi blinked at him. For a moment, the words rose up his throat like a tidal wave. He wanted nothing more than to tell his grandfather everything. 

But he couldn’t.

“Yeah, _Jii-chan_. Of course.”

His grandfather smiled sadly at him. “Of course.”

Yuugi turned away, guilt gnawing at his insides. There was a brief movement from the corner of his eye, and he half-turned, but his grandfather was already gone, and the only thing he could see was his school bag.

Yuugi sat back at his desk. If he couldn’t think of anything, he decided, he would tell his grandfather. He didn’t think he could hold out much longer anyway.

But at least he could complete the Puzzle. If nothing else, he had accomplished that much with his life—completing an ancient puzzle no one else could. He smiled faintly and pressed the final piece into place.


	3. Furious Battle pt 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a denizen of the Dark Place plays a Shadow Game with a Beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello from the new house! Spent all of yesterday moving in, so that’s why I didn’t post until now. Note on the chapter: This is a little experimental. Yami doesn’t have a name yet, so it felt inconsistent and weird to use it here. It’ll be a while before a) Yuugi even knows he exists and b) gives him a name. I tried to make it as clear as possible but I’m not sure how well it turned out, so feedback on it is very very welcome!

As soon as the final piece was slotted into place, the whole Puzzle began to glow. Yuugi gasped as his forehead burned white-hot. He tried to scream but it caught in his throat.

Shadowy blobs shot out of the eye in the center of the Puzzle and disappeared. The light filled his whole room, blinding him. It was all he could see. He couldn’t even cover his eyes because he was paralyzed, his hands locked around the Puzzle.

Then something hot and electric raced up his arms, and he blacked out. 

* * *

He had only ever known the darkness for so long, he couldn’t remember anything else. A world of reds and purples and blues so deep they were almost indistinguishable from the greys and black. A world where time was indistinguishable, where he only ever had the Shadows and his own thoughts for company, where gravity didn’t pull you to the ground but to whatever surface you happened to be nearest. Or, if he concentrated hard enough, whatever surface he wanted.

He remembered having friends, once. A whole team dedicated to…he wasn’t sure. Sometimes the shadows shifted and he could smell blood and smoke. But he could never remember his friends’ names, or what they looked like, or why someone was bleeding, or what caused the fire.

And then, for the first time since he entered this hell, he saw light.

He remembered light.

Light didn’t exist here.

His breath caught and he reached for it. With nothing in this world to use to gauge distance, it was only then he realized it was too far away. He ran toward it, trying to catch it. The light, the warmth, he hadn’t realized how much he needed it until then. The Shadows shot forward, wrapping around it, smothering it—no! He wouldn’t lose it!

His fingers finally brushed it, and it was like touching a star.

* * *

Once the burning sensation faded, he was able to open his eyes again.

And then he had to shut them again, because the light was too bright. He grimaced and squinted, waiting for his eyes to adjust. Once they had he was able to get a look around.

It was so…colorful. From the sea foam rug on the wooden floor, to the sky color of the desk, to the dark blue of the bedspread (but not as dark a blue as where he had been before) that was covered in soft-looking toys. Where was he? Why did everything look so different? He tried to remember how things had looked before, but all he could remember was the dark.

He knew he hadn’t always been in that dark place. He tried to cast back further, to _before_ , and was met with a blank wall. 

“Vee?”

He looked down. There was a small brown fluffy thing staring up at him with wide, innocent eyes. He felt like he should remember what it was, but it took so much effort to bring the word up.

“Eevee,” he finally whispered hoarsely. “That’s…what you are…”

It jumped onto the desk, butting its head imperiously against his hand until he released the Puzzle to pet it. He had been holding it so tightly it almost hurt when he let it go, but he was glad he did; the small creature was warm, soft. Living.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt anything like it. Before the Dark Place, he knew. When was that? He couldn’t remember.

He looked down at himself. His body felt so familiar, but also so very strange. His clothes felt strange, _looked_ strange, like he had been subconsciously expecting to see something else there. 

Something squirmed, an odd sensation that seemed settled in his chest. Next to his _soul_. Why…? His eyes widened.

The Dark Place. He had been in the Dark Place, until he saw the light. There had been no one else with him then.

There was another soul with him, connected to his. He drew on the Shadows, his only companions in the Dark Place, still nearby and willing to do whatever he wished, and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was inside a different room—his soul room, he knew, though he couldn’t remember how or when he came across that information. Dark, except for the sickly glow of an eye on a door in front of him. He opened it and stepped into a hallway, better lit and made of rough stone blocks. The footing was uneven, but he managed not to trip as he followed it.

There was only one other door, wood like the one in the room he had been sitting in earlier. If that other room was [em]his[/em] soul room, then this door would lead to whoever he was sharing space with. He needed to know, but the idea of just waltzing in made him cringe. The door was already partially open, thankfully, enough to see a bit of what was inside.

He could see enough of the room to realize it was almost a carbon copy of the room he had woken up in. There were more toys, the rug seemed a little fluffier, and it was definitely brighter and warmer. Very few shadows seemed to be in there. Paintings covered the walls, mostly of a boy who looked almost like him with an older man and a pretty middle-aged woman. Or, he thought they were paintings—they looked so realistic he almost thought they would move.

And there was the boy from the pictures, lying on the bed. The boy looked so similar to him they could have been brothers. And yet that idea felt wrong…

Something growled, and the boy shivered. He found his eyes drawn to the unnaturally dark space under the bed, where a pair of sickly green reptilian eyes peered. A worry or fear, he thought. 

“Ushio- _san_ …”

He started, wondering if he had woken the boy’s soul, but he was still asleep. The monster under the bed growled more deeply.

So, it’s name was Ushio. Not a name he recognized. 

He backed out of the room and concentrated on waking up. If he was right, and he thought he was, this wasn’t _his_ body, but the boy’s. Somehow he had ended up there. 

The boy had rescued him from the Dark Place.

Maybe he could return the favor.

* * *

The sky was cloudy, hiding the moon and stars and casting the place he had chosen in shadow. Not Shadows, not like the Dark Place, but enough that he felt almost at home.

Once he had realized it wasn’t his body, he had used the Shadows to find the boy’s last thoughts. They had been terror-filled and riddled with anxiety, all centered on this character, Ushio.

His lips lifted into a smirk. Ushio had demanded a ridiculous amount of money from his _hikari_ , the boy who had rescued him—Yuugi, he had found out, while viewing the last few memories before his awakening. He had found it in his _hikari’s_ school bag when he had gone to call the beast for their meeting, and while he knew it hadn’t been there before thanks to those memories, it gave him an idea.

If Ushio wanted the money, he would give the beast a chance at it. Hell, he would double it. He fanned the money out, using a touch of Shadow to duplicate it. It wasn’t a perfect illusion—it didn’t feel quite right and the colors were slightly off, but in the dark it was close enough.

The beast arrived at their meeting—he had chosen Yuugi’s school because it was close enough to get to quickly, far enough not to disturb his _hikari’s_ family, and abandoned for the night, giving them privacy. He watched Ushio approach from his perch on some of the gym equipment that had been left out—being higher up felt natural—and then decided to draw his attention.

“Ushio.”

The beast’s eyes snapped to him, startled for a minute. His smirk deepened, and the Shadows crowed.

“Yuugi.” Well, apparently he still looked enough like his _hikari_ to pass. Good. “You have some balls on you, don’t you? Calling me out here like this.” The DC president spread his hands. “Well, I’m here. You brought the money, didn’t you?”

He held it up. “I did.”

Ushio smirked and held a hand out. “Good boy. Now, give it here.”

The Shadows hissed their fury, but Ushio couldn’t hear them. He didn’t let his irritation show on his face. The beast would be dealt with shortly.

“But that’s so boring,” he sighed. He leaned back slightly, hooking his feet into the equipment to keep his balance, and held the money up. “Why don’t we play a game for it? I even brought double.”

“D-double?” Ushio was practically panting after it, and he was unable to contain his smirk at the predictable response. 

“Double,” he repeated lightly. “Of course,” he said casually, “it’s not just any game. It would be a Shadow Game. If you win, you get the money, of course. If you lose, _I_ keep the money. And if you cheat…” His face darkened. “If you cheat, you get a Penalty.”

“Sounds interesting. Alright, I accept.” Ushio smiled, an ugly look in his eyes. “I’ve never lost a game before.”

“Then let’s play. We just need one thing to begin.” He smirked back. “That knife of yours, Ushio.”

“Wha—?”

He waved his hand impatiently. “Your knife. I know you have it with you. We need it for the game, or we can’t play.”

Ushio eyed him warily, but pulled the knife from his jacket pocket anyway. “Alright, here it is. What are the rules?”

“So glad you asked.” He dropped to the ground, sitting next to a short platform used for—he squinted, Yuugi’s memories weren’t clear, something about jumping? It would work for a table, anyway. He placed the stack in the center. “We each take a stack of the bills and set it on the backs of one of our hands.” He demonstrated, then gestured for the knife. Ushio handed it to him. “Then you stab the bills with the knife to lift some off. However many you stab is how much of the money you keep, and whoever collects the most wins. We keep going until there are no more bills left.” He smiled slightly. “Of course, you must be careful not to stab your own hand. If you stab yourself, you lose. And the only rule to how many you can stab is that it must be more than one.”

“Dangerous. I like it.” Ushio sat with a grin. “You’re gutsier than I expected, Yuugi. If you acted like this more often, maybe you wouldn’t be bullied so much.”

He filed that information away for another time. “Are you ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Game start.”

The Shadows crawled eagerly around their feet, though Ushio didn’t notice them at all. The beast was too busy watching him place the bills.

“I’ll go first,” he said mildly, picking up the knife. He bit his lip and pressed the point carefully against the bills, concentrating on not picking up too many and very aware of Ushio’s eyes on his face. One…two…three…that should be enough. He pulled the knife away, revealing the three bills he had speared.

“Harder than I thought it would be,” he said, plucking the paper from the knife. Really, why use paper money when metal was so much more durable? Too easy to destroy, he thought as he set the remaining money on the pile. Exactly how long had he been in the Dark Place?

“Ha! That’s all? Give me the knife.” Ushio snatched the blade away. “I’ll show you how a real man plays this game.”

“Do remember to be careful,” he reminded Ushio. “You don’t want to accidentally stab yourself.”

“Shut up,” Ushio snapped. He set a thick stack on the back of his hand and placed the tip against it. The beast pressed down, and the blade slid forward, gathering a much thicker stack of bills than his had been. Then Ushio picked up the knife triumphantly. “Ten! This isn’t a very hard game at all, you wimp.”

One of the Shadows scraped against the beast’s ankle. Ushio twitched, but otherwise didn’t seem to notice.

And so the game continued. After a while, he looked at the table. He had amassed a small stack of money, and the pile between them was almost gone. Most of it resided in Ushio’s stack.

Ushio laughed triumphantly. “I’m going to win!” He picked up the last of the money and placed it on the back of his hand, bringing the knife to bear. “I’ve already got almost all of it.”

He hummed noncommittally. 

“Aw, don’t be like that,” Ushio mocked. “You should be happy! I’m in such a good mood I won’t even beat you up for calling me out here at midnight.”

“How…kind.”

Ushio smirked and pressed the knife down. He knew all the beast had to do was leave at least one bill. The stack was small and wouldn’t require much pressure. But, to his delight, Ushio seemed to be having trouble.

“What’s the matter, Ushio?” he asked innocently. The beast’s arm was trembling, and Ushio seemed to be panicking, eyes wide, chest starting to heave. Only he could see the Shadow wrapped around the beast’s arm, a new green-tinted Shadow that had sprung from Ushio’s heart. 

“Shut…up…” Ushio grunted. Sweating dripped down the side of his face.

“It seems,” he said, leaning forward thoughtfully, “that your head is at war with your heart.” Ushio glanced at him, then returned to glaring at his hand. “The point of this game is to master your greed, and you know that here,” he said, tapping his temple, “but here,” he tapped his heart, “you want the money too much.”

“I said SHUT UP!” Ushio pulled the knife away and swung it at his face. He dodged and fell back, landing in a less-than-graceful heap (a voice chided him, “Get up, you can do better than that…”). Ushio’s face twisted into an ugly snarl. “I’ll kill you,” the beast promised him, “and then _all_ of it will be mine.”

He leaped up and snarled back. The Shadows rose, twisting around the beast like snakes, keeping him still. “If money is all you desire,” he hissed, “then money is all you shall see! _Illusion of Avarice!_ ”

A green-tinted Shadow rose and pressed against the beast’s eyes, momentarily hiding them from view. Ushio yelled, trying to free himself and unable to. Then he was still, and the Shadow finished crawling into him. For a moment afterward there was a “Y” with two lines through the bottom imprinted over his eyes. Then that, too, faded, and the Shadows let him go. Ushio fell face-first into the dirt.

He gathered the money, tucked it into a pocket, and waited for the beast to stir again before turning to leave. He didn’t look at the results, just listened to the yelp—“Money!”—and the crunch of a body hitting one of the leaf piles next to the track.

“I guess this counts for a happy ending for you after all,” he murmured, smirking. Then he sauntered home, the Shadows fading away.

* * *

Most of the trip was a blur. He vaguely remembered walking, placing the envelope of money back under the till for Yuugi’s grandfather to find later, and stumbling up the stairs, somehow avoiding waking everyone up in the process. He didn’t exactly have the wherewithal to be quiet. 

He was panting by the time he made it to Yuugi’s room, shutting the door as quietly as he could behind himself and sliding to the floor, head and heart pounding.

That had taken more out of him than he expected. 

“Eevee?” The small brown creature crawled into his lap, placed its front paws on his chest, and licked his cheek. He flinched slightly, still not used to real sensation, but he was more awake now.

“I’m…alright,” he tried to assure it. It looked at him doubtfully. “Just tired.” He wrapped his arms around it securely and stood. He needed to rest, but he refused to leave his _hikari_ on the floor. He turned off the light, stumbled to the bed, and all but fell into it, letting the Eevee go and settling so he was on his back.

He almost didn’t want to sleep. What if he woke up in the Dark Place again?

His _hikari_ had covered the ceiling with green glowing stars. It was soothing, especially when there was so little light coming from the window, reminding him he wasn’t in the Dark Place any more. 

The Eevee snuggled against his side, a quiet living reminder. He wasn’t there anymore. His _hikari_ had saved him. He would never return there again.

His eyes drifted shut.

* * *

Yuugi woke up with his alarm and stretched with a tremendous yawn. He felt like he hardly slept at all!

Something next to him wriggled and whined sleepily. He looked down. There was a brown ball of fluff curled into a tight ball next to his side, happily radiating heat. A toy? No, he decided numbly, watching it expand and contract. Toys didn’t breathe.

“Wha—?”

The fluff picked its head up, ears springing upright, and looked at him with deep brown eyes. “Vee?”

“Ah!” His yell startled the little creature, and they jumped away from each other. “What the hell?!”

It gave him a sad look. “Vee,” it whined piteously.

“You’re an Eevee!” It gave him an insulted look. “Eevees aren’t real!” They only existed in the Pokemon game! It was one of his favorite cards, he would recognize it anywhere, but it couldn’t be here in his room!

“Yuugi, is that you?” His doorknob turned. 

He froze, then threw his blanket over the tiny creature, muffling its shocked cry. “I’m up, _Kaa-san!_ ”

His door opened. “On time today, I see,” she said approvingly. “Well, hurry and get ready, I’ll make breakfast.”

“Of course,” he said, grinning brightly, angling himself so he could block her view of the wriggling blanket. He breathed a sigh of relief when she left, then lifted the blanket. The Eevee stared at him balefully. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “but _Kaa-san_ can’t see you, she would have a fit. How…how are you here?”

He crouched down to pet it—her, he corrected himself absently. She stood on her back paws and batted at his chest.

No, he realized, not his chest. The Millennium Puzzle. He frowned. He remembered solving it last night and passing out at his desk. Why was it around his neck? Where had he even gotten the cord from?

But most importantly, there hadn’t been an Eevee in his room then, either. Did that mean she had come from the Puzzle?

He remembered those shadows…

He scratched her behind one ear, listening to her purr. “I’ll figure out what’s going on,” he promised. “But I have to go to school first. I can’t bring you with me…” He bit his lip. “Will you stay here?”

The Eevee seemed to pout for a minute, then nodded.

“Alright…I’ll bring you breakfast before I leave. Hide if _Kaa-san_ comes in, okay?”

Then he got ready for the day.

* * *

He arrived school to see a crowd of students. Yuugi wandered over, curious in spite of himself—whatever it was would be a welcome distraction right now. He still had no idea what to do about Ushio except try to avoid him as much as possible—

—except it was Ushio everyone was staring at.

The older student was rolling in a pile of leaves and trash, laughing. “Money! Look at all this money!” he caroled. He tossed a handful of leaves in the air. “Mine! All mine!”

Ushio had cracked, Yuugi thought numbly. Students whispered around him.

“He thinks it’s money?”

“Ew, there’s trash in the leaves!”

“Gross…”

One of the Disciplinary Committee members crept forward, face unsure. “Ushio- _san_?”

Ushio pulled his knife and swiped at the other boy. “Get away from me! It’s mine, all mine!”

The student leapt back, and the crowd gasped. Yuugi flinched away, and one of the girls screamed.

“Someone call the police!”

“Ushio’s insane—!”

“—what the hell—”

“What’s going on out here?” a teacher demanded, pushing his way through the crowd. “Everyone get to class, we’ll handle this.”

Yuugi followed the others inside. What had happened to Ushio? He was completely delusional, but how could something like that happen overnight?

But something inside him still couldn’t help but relax. He didn’t have to worry about coming up with the money, or worry about Ushio knifing him behind the school. He just wished it wasn’t because of something like this.

“Yuugi.” He looked up. Jounouchi- _kun_ was standing against a wall, his face covered in band-aids. 

“Jounouchi- _kun_! Are you alright?” Yuugi asked.

The blond smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I’ve had worse. I…” He looked embarrassed for a moment, then took a breath. “I decided I would bring _my_ treasure to school today, too. Wanna see?” Yuugi nodded, and Jounouchi grinned, all teeth. “Sorry, but you can’t. It’s…something you can show, but you can’t really see it.”

A riddle! Yuugi frowned thoughtfully, but he couldn’t think of an answer. He really should get more sleep…“I give,” he finally said, his lips quirking into a grin. “What is it?”

“Friendship,” Jounouchi said simply. He shrugged and looked away. “Friendship is something you show through your actions, but you can’t physically see it. And…” He looked up, his eyes showing a hint of something unknown, serious. “I hope we’re friends.”

“Of course we are, Jounouchi- _kun_ ,” Yuugi said seriously. He held up his Puzzle. “You brought the final piece. I couldn’t have finished this without you.”

Jounouchi looked relieved for a second, then flushed. “Gods, I can’t believe I said something so cheesy,” he muttered. “I…have to go, bye!” 

Yuugi blinked as his new friend took off down the hallway, until something fell in front of him. He picked it up and dashed after him.

“Jounouchi- _kun_ , your shoe!”


	4. Megumi-chan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuugi introduces Eevee to his friends and they pick a name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, the manga mentioned here isn’t Pokemon Adventures. I have a plan for that later in the series, but not for a while.
> 
> Also, trying to lengthen the chapters a bit so every episode doesn’t end up three parts, though this was a lot longer than I originally intended. Do you guys prefer longer chapters?

A few days after discovering Eevee in his room, and Yuugi still hadn’t told his grandfather. He just didn’t know how to tell the older man. How does one go about telling someone a creature from a game is actually real? Yuugi wondered, poking listlessly at his breakfast. 

“Well, isn’t this interesting,” Sugoroku murmured, laying the morning’s newspaper on the table. “Yuugi, have you seen this article? That game you like is being featured.” He abandoned breakfast and scooted around the table to see what his grandfather was talking about.

INDUSTRIAL ILLUSIONS GAME BROUGHT TO LIFE?

Yuugi frowned, skimming quickly over the paragraphs. According to the article, real life Pokemon had been spotted around all of Kanto over the last few days. The journalist questioned if it was merely an elaborate prank, or if Industrial Illusions, the company that created the Pokemon card game, had created mechanical versions of the monsters as a promotion for their upcoming expansion pack.

This was the best opportunity he was going to get, he decided. He took a breath. “ _Jii-chan_?”

“Yes, Yuugi?”

“Do you think this article is real?”

“I should hope not,” Kimiko said briskly, bustling in with her own breakfast. Yuugi flinched; he had thought she would be gone for the day already. In addition to keeping the books for the shop, his mother also did payroll for a few other small businesses in the area, and today was a day she normally did her rounds. “I’ve seen those cards. Normal animals are messy enough, let alone having ones running around spitting fire.” She grimaced. 

“It might not be so bad,” Sugoroku said thoughtfully. He scratched his chin. “Some of them are pretty cute.”

“In the manga they’re friendly,” Yuugi offered quietly. They had started releasing volumes every month since last September. After Eevee’s appearance he had looked through his cards and the few chapters that had been released for just a little information on his new friend. There wasn’t much.

The card had only recently been released as part of the Jungle expansion and mentioned eevee having an irregular genetic code that could be influenced by radiation from elemental stones. The listed attacks were Tail Wag and Quick Attack. The former kept the opponent from attacking eevee on their next turn and the latter was a simple attack that might do more damage if the player managed to flip heads. And the manga had only mentioned an eevee once in passing.

The manga was cute and fun, but if Yuugi was honest, if it hadn’t been related to his favorite card game he probably wouldn’t have bothered with it. It was pretty basic.

“Cats and dogs are friendly,” Kimiko pointed out, “but they still make a mess. Yuugi, you should finish getting ready for school, dear. You’ll need to leave soon.”

“Right.” He shoved another few bites in his mouth and stood. “Thanks for breakfast!” He took his dishes to the sink and headed back upstairs to grab his school bag, managing to sneak his portion fish in a napkin up with him. 

“I hope he’s not going to start asking for a pet,” his mother grumbled as he rounded the corner to the stairs.

“Maybe you should let him have one,” his grandfather suggested mildly. “Something small, like a cat, maybe.”

“One more thing for me to clean up.”

Yuugi shook his head and went upstairs. He didn’t blame his mother for not wanting to clean up after an animal when she already did so much around the house, plus her bookkeeping. He had been trying to do better with keeping his room clean for the last few days so his mother wouldn’t have to search around for laundry—the less searching she had to do, the better Eevee could hide. 

The Pokemon was sleeping in his windowsill when he opened the door. She cracked her eyes open and made a quiet noise before closing them again. She didn’t even uncurl or move around. He set the fish on the desk and petted her gently before heading out. He wasn’t worried; she had managed to hide this long without his interference, so he knew her hearing must be as sharp as any cat or dog’s. 

He should take her out, he decided as he headed down the stairs. He managed to sneak her outside in the evenings to do her business, but she really needed to run around and play. He hadn’t before because he hadn’t found a secluded enough spot, but if the newspaper article was right, he might not even need to because other Pokemon were popping up all over the place.

“I’m headed out,” he called, barely listening to his mother and grandfather wish him a good day. The park would probably be fine, he decided. He would just stay away from the road. Maybe after school. His mother would be gone until sometime this evening, so he would have a couple hours to let her run around. They might even see another Pokemon, he thought with a grin.

“Well, don’t you look happy today,” Anzu teased, walking up next to him. “Good news at home?”

Yuugi shook his head. “Not particularly. But I saw a really cool news article.”

“What, the thing about the Pokemon sightings?” Yuugi nodded. “Yeah, that was kinda cool to see,” Anzu admitted. “Surprised it was the headliner, though. Did you see the article about the prison break?” 

“There was a prison break?” Yuugi asked. 

Anzu nodded. “Some guy called Jiro the Jorogumo. Apparently he’s really good at disguises and he got put away for robbery.”

“Guess I should make sure _Jii-chan_ , knows.” Domino was a small city and not without it’s crime, but they lived in a relatively quiet area. They still locked their doors, but it might be a good idea to lock up the more valuable merchandise until they caught the guy again.

* * *

Kaa-san’s Oran bushes!”

Another girl snorted. “Probably just a caterpillar, that’s what it’s based on, right?”

“Caterpillars don’t get that big,” her friend insisted. She held her hands about a foot apart. “Like that!”

“It’s just a hoax,” her friend insisted. She held the other girl’s hand. “I know you really like Pokemon and butterfree’s like, your favorite, but—”

The girl pulled away, scowling. “But nothing! I didn’t imagine it, it wasn’t a trick, it was real!” Her face grew stormier with every word. “You think I’m lying?”

Yuugi dropped into his seat and set his bag on his desk’s hook. The news article was the most popular topic of conversation that morning. He didn’t know either girl very well, but they had always been friends. He had never heard them argue before.

Jounouchi took the seat in front of him, Honda and Miho not too far behind. “What are those two fighting about?”

“Um, remember the card game? Pokemon?” Yuugi kept his voice down, trying not to draw the attention of the arguing girls. Jounouchi nodded. “Did you see the newspaper this morning?”

“No.” Jou frowned at him. “Why, what’s that got to do with it?”

“Oh, I saw it,” Honda said, nodding. “Seems like some kind of elaborate prank to me.”

“There have been sightings of real life Pokemon all around Kanto,” Yuugi elaborated. “People seeing them all over the place.”

“That would be super cool,” Jou said with a grin. “Can you imagine having a charmander?”

“Some people just have way too much time on their hands,” Honda muttered. “Seriously, who has the time to do a prank like this? It completely took over the front page.”

“Well, what if it _was_ real?” Yuugi asked nervously. His palms started to sweat a little, and he discreetly wiped them off. “What if we could have a Pokemon?” 

“What, like, pick them up off the street?” Anzu wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I could handle a feral cat, let alone a monster from a card game.”

“The manga makes them look pretty sweet,” Miho said, biting her lip. “I don’t think they’d be very feral. It would be really cool to have a vulpix, too.” She clapped her hands together and smiled. “They’re so adorable!”

“I…didn’t know you read the manga, Miho- _chan_ ,” Honda said weakly, looking torn. Yuugi knew Honda—as the president of the beautification club he worked hard to be seen as sensible and make the school as presentable as possible, and these Pokemon sightings weren’t sensible at all. But Miho was clearly interested and thought they would be cool, and he had such a huge crush on her he tended to agree with everything she said.

Miho nodded, oblivious to the internal conflict Yuugi could see brewing in Honda’s eyes. “Oh yes. It’s really cute. I like the game, too. There’s not as many cute Pokemon cards as I would like, but the upcoming expansion is supposed to change that.”

“I have a deck, too,” Anzu confessed, “though I haven’t played very much.”

“Yep, me three,” Jou said, nodding along. “And I’ve seen Yuugi’s deck, so I know he’s into it too.”

Yuugi nodded enthusiastically. “I started playing not long after it came out.” He smiled at Honda. “If you want, I could bring you some of my extra cards. You can build a deck and we can all play together.”

Miho bounced slightly on her toes. “That sounds like so much fun! Hey, maybe we could meet up after school? We’ll get Honda- _kun_ started, and then we could all play each other.”

“That sounds fun,” Anzu agreed happily. “Should we go to Yuugi’s after school?”

Yuugi froze, his smile becoming fixed. If they came over to his house, they would see Eevee, and he still hadn’t told them about her. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea…”

Jou frowned. “Why not?”

“Um…” The bell rang, saving him from having to answer, and his friends were forced to go to their seats. He sighed quietly as the homeroom teacher walked in and they rose in greeting.

Maybe he should just tell them? But what if they didn’t believe him? It would be great to show them, but would it be a good idea to crowd everyone into his room for it? What if Eevee didn’t like crowds?

A trip to the park was sounding better and better. Maybe they could hang out there? That way he could introduce them without Eevee feeling like she was trapped, and then they could play cards together after. He perked up. It would be great, he was sure. They would all love Eevee—she was small and cute and most assuredly not a robot or a puppet. He would tell them at lunch he wanted to go to park.

* * *

By the end of the day Yuugi thought he was going to throw up. What if his friends were mad at him for waiting to tell them? He knew he hadn’t known Jou, Honda, or Miho for very long, but he had known Anzu since elementary school and he really should have told her sooner. She was always honest and straightforward with him—it was one of the things he liked best about her.

Well, he thought, he would just have to make it up to her. He marched home—alone for the first time in the last few days. Anzu had always been on-and-off about whether she could walk home with him or not, or if he could walk with her, but Jou had been stuck to his side like glue ever since they had become friends. It felt odd that he wasn’t there now.

“ _Jii-chan_ , I’m home,” Yuugi called, walking in the front door of the game shop. 

“Welcome home,” Sugoroku responded cheerfully. He set down the magazine he had been reading, the pages revealing a colorful two-page spread about the upcoming Pokemon expansion. “How was school?”

“Pretty boring,” Yuugi confessed. He cracked a smile. “Mostly everyone talked about the news.”

“The Pokemon article? I imagine everyone would have been excited about that one.”

“Yeah, mostly that and the breakout.”

“Oh, yes, I saw that article too.” Sugoroku frowned thoughtfully. “I guess I should keep some of the pricier merchandise in the stock room overnight. I can’t imagine what that man would try to steal here—I remember his case, and he always targeted places like jewelry stores—but I suppose if he was desperate enough…”

“I guess so.” Yuugi stepped over to the side door that led to the house and kicked off his shoes. “I’m just going to grab my cards, then I’m hanging out at the park with my friends. We’re going to see if we can get Honda started on a deck.”

“Go on, then,” the older man said, waving him on with a smile. “And make sure you’re home by dinner.”

“Okay!”

Eevee was waiting for him when he opened his bedroom door, lying on his bed on her back, paws in the air as she wriggled. She rolled over onto her stomach, ears pricked. “Vee?”

Yuugi quickly emptied his bag. “We’re going to the park today,” he said, keeping his voice low. He scratched her ears. “I want to introduce you to my friends.”

“Eevee!” She jumped to her feet, tail wagging and eyes shining. She hopped onto the floor and raced over to him, jumping at his chest. He caught her reflexively, giggling helplessly when she licked his cheek.

“Alright, alright!” He felt even guiltier now. He should have found a way to take her out sooner. “Let me get my cards and then we’ll go. Are you okay being in my bag?” She looked at it critically, then barked her agreement. “Let’s go, then.”

His extra cards didn’t take up too much space, thankfully. He picked them up from his desk. They mostly stayed in a small flat box, the inside separated into three slots for Pokemon, trainer cards, and energy cards. He set it on the bottom of the bag and let Eevee jump in after. He zipped the bag most of the way, leaving the top slightly open so she could breathe and wouldn’t feel too claustrophobic. 

“Just keep your head down, okay?” he whispered, carefully putting the backpack on. He felt Eevee scrunch down against his back, then went back downstairs, much slower than he normally was.

“ _Jii-chan_ , I’m going now,” he called through the doorway. He hastily slid his shoes back on, trying to get out the door before his grandfather could see him.

“You must have more cards than I thought,” Sugoroku commented, looking up from his magazine. “Have fun with your friends, Yuugi.”

Yuugi froze for a moment, shoulders tensed. He forcibly relaxed them. “I will!”

He sighed in relief as the door closed behind him. That was way too close for comfort. He was just glad his grandfather thought he was carrying a lot of cards and didn’t notice the shape of the bump was too round to be his card box.

* * *

Yuugi had hoped to be the first one to arrive at the park. He had wanted to pick a more secluded spot so he could introduce Eevee, maybe let her out beforehand so she could look around too. Unfortunately, by the time he got there Honda and Jou were already sitting at the pavilion, a covered area with several picnic benches. Jou had a Ziploc of cards sitting on the table, but neither of them were looking at them and their faces were uncharacteristically grim.

Jou smiled and waved when he saw him, though, erasing the dark look entirely. It was almost enough to make Yuugi think he had made a mistake, but Honda wasn’t nearly as good at hiding his face. 

“Hey Jounouchi- _kun_ , Honda- _kun_ ,” Yuugi greeted. He carefully shrugged out of his backpack and set it on the table. “Is something wrong?”

“Nah, man.” Jounouchi leaned back with an easy smile, hands locked behind his head. Honda stayed quiet, face still serious. “Everything’s good. What all do you have in the bag? You can’t tell me it’s all cards.”

“It’s not all cards,” Yuugi admitted. He winked. “But I’m not telling until the girls get here.”

“They shouldn’t be too long, should they?” Jou leaned forward, reaching for the bag. “Nothing wrong with a little peek, right?”

Yuugi pulled the bag to his chest, hugging it tightly. Eevee shifted slightly, but Jou and Honda didn’t seem to notice. “No peeking!”

Jou sat up with a pout, arms crossed. “Fine, no peeking.” He gave Yuugi his best rendition of puppy dog eyes. “At least a hint?”

“Okay.” Yuugi thought for a minute. What kind of hint could Yuugi give that wouldn’t give the whole thing away? If he referenced the news article they would get it immediately. “It…it has to do with the game,” he finally said, feeling his way slowly through the words. “And Miho will really like it.”

“Y-you brought Miho a present?” Honda gave him a despairing look. 

Yuugi winced. “Um, not a present for her. It’s mine. I just think it’s something she’ll happen to like.”

This didn’t seem to help. Honda stood, hands planted on the table. “Why not bring her a present? Miho’s beauty and kindness put even the most perfect rose to shame, she deserves—!”

“Easy, Honda,” Jou sighed. He grabbed his friend’s arm and tugged him back down. “Relax, will you?”

Maybe he should have picked a better hint, Yuugi thought. Invoking Miho was a sure-shot way of getting Honda all worked up. 

“Hey guys!” Yuugi looked over to see Anzu waving at them, Miho walking next to her with a huge pink binder. The girls joined them, Anzu sitting next to Yuugi and Miho placing her binder carefully on the table before sitting next to her. “Sorry we took so long. Miho hid her cards too well.”

“My cards are very important,” the other girl huffed, nose in the air. “I don’t want anyone to steal them. Especially with that escaped thief running around.”

Anzu pulled a small deck builder box from her school bag and set it on the table next to the binder. “Miho, I don’t think that guy’s interested in stealing game cards.”

“Well, he could be! Didn’t you hear about that collector in Unova? Someone killed him, and the only thing missing was his Mew card!”

“I remember hearing about that,” Yuugi said, frowning thoughtfully. “It was a really rare promotional card from when the game first released. Only four were ever released, put into random card packs. They’re worth at least 300,000 yen.”

“And our cards won’t compare to that,” Anzu finished. She patted Miho’s hand. “You’re a really good player, but your cards aren’t that rare. Which you should be glad about.”

Miho deflated and sighed. “I guess so.”

“Cheer up, Miho!” Honda grabbed her hand with both of his. “Yuugi brought something with him that he said you’ll like!”

“A present? For me?” Miho blinked and turned to Yuugi with a bright smile. “You didn’t have to bring me anything, Yuugi!”

Yuugi almost smacked himself in the forehead. He leaned onto the table, face cradled in one hand, but the landing was still pretty hard. “It isn’t a present,” he muttered. “I just wanted to introduce you guys, jeez…”

Jou blinked. “What, like, a pet or something? You carried a pet all the way in your school bag?”

“Yuugi,” Anzu groaned. “What if it made a mess?”

“She didn’t make a mess,” Yuugi protested, waving his hands. He took a deep breath. “Look, I’ll just…” He unzipped his bag. “Eevee, you can come out now.”

“Veeeee~.” He ignored his friends looks—from the confused looks Honda and Jou sported to Miho’s excitement and Anzu’s unease—they weren’t what mattered right then. Eevee stood with a luxurious stretch, her back arched much like a cat’s, but since she was in the backpack all his friends could see was a set of ears and a fluffy tail. Then she jumped out, using Yuugi’s arm as a brief launching pad to get to the picnic table.

“This is Eevee,” Yuugi said, petting her head gently. “Eevee, these are my friends. Anzu, Miho- _chan_ , Jounouchi- _kun_ , and Honda- _kun_.” He pointed to each of them in turn, letting Eevee focus on them briefly before moving on. The manga showed Pokemon as very willing to battle and occasionally more than a little protective, and he didn’t want her to mistake his friends’ joking and playing as “attacking” him.

“She’s so adorable!” Miho exclaimed, hands clasped over her heart. She scooped Eevee up, cuddling her close. 

“That’s an Eevee,” Jou said slowly, face blank.

Anzu reached over to carefully run her hand down the length of Eevee’s back, burying her fingers in the luxurious fur. “It’s real! Yuugi, how…?”

“She,” he corrected her gently. “And I’m not sure.” He wrapped his hand around the Puzzle. “Well, I think I have a theory, but you might think it’s silly…”

“We won’t laugh,” Anzu promised. She glared at the boys. “Right?”

Honda and Jou shrank back. “Right.”

“Well,” Yuugi said, “remember how I completed the Millennium Puzzle a few days ago?” His friends nodded. “It…well, it started glowing, and then Eevee was there the next day. I woke up, and she was asleep on the bed.”

“So you think solving the Puzzle made it—sorry, her,” Jou corrected hurriedly, raising his hands. Eevee had twisted to glare at him, and Yuugi struggled to keep a straight face when Jou backed off, acting the same way he did when Anzu was upset. “Sorry. You think solving it made _her_ appear?” 

Yuugi nodded jerkily. Eevee wriggled in Miho’s arms until the girl let her go, then stood in front of Yuugi, snuggling against his face happily. He hugged her back.

“That kind of makes sense,” Anzu said thoughtfully. She tapped her cheek with one finger. “Yeah, I can see how you might come to that conclusion. You solve the Millennium Puzzle, and then Eevee appears, so the Puzzle must be why.”

“But you don’t think it’s true,” Yuugi said softly. He looked down at Eevee and petted her.

“Sorry, no,” Anzu said, shaking her head. “I mean, the Puzzle is really small, it’s not like she could fit in there. And the other Pokemon wouldn’t, either, assuming they’re not a hoax.”

“ _Jii-chan_ said it was a magical artifact,” Yuugi pointed out. “I don’t think they would have been physically trapped in the Puzzle. Maybe…maybe it just unlocked something?”

“…I think maybe Yuugi’s right,” Miho said, smiling. “What other explanation is there?”

“Well…” Honda said slowly. Yuugi wondered how hard it was for him to disagree with anything Miho said. “There’s a rumor Kaiba Corp partnered with Industrial Illusions for a video game. You’ve heard it, right? Maybe they’re robots! Or maybe they were grown in a lab somewhere. Plus the release of the new card expansion _is_ right around the corner. They could have released their creations as a promotion.” Honda looked at Jounouchi, who was sitting with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. “Right, Jou?”

“I don’t think even Kaiba Corp has the technology to make an entirely new biological creature,” Jou said. He cracked one eye open to look at the girls. “And did she feel like a robot to you?” Miho shook her head rapidly, and after a moment, Anzu followed suit. “Then I think Yuugi’s idea has the most merit.” Yuugi looked up, staring at Jou with wide eyes. 

“Magic?” Honda asked dryly. Jou nodded. “…magic?”

Jou twitched. “Makes more sense than Kaiba Corp growing her in a lab,” he growled. “They aren’t even involved in medicine, they’re a tech company!”

This devolved into Jou and Honda arguing. Anzu and Miho scooted closer to Yuugi.

“…do you really think the Puzzle is why Eevee is here?” Anzu asked softly. Yuugi nodded, his stomach knotting up. “Well…I guess unlocking something makes more sense than her coming from the Puzzle directly…”

“Maybe we should ask your grandfather,” Miho said softly, scritching Eevee on top of her head. Yuugi froze.

He hadn’t told _Jii-chan_.

He had been so focused on hiding Eevee he had forgotten _Jii-chan_. He could have said something before he left! It would have been the perfect time, too, because _Kaa-san_ hadn’t come back yet. And _Jii-chan_ might have been able to help him convince _Kaa-san_.

“You didn’t tell him?” Anzu hissed, taking in the look on his face with wide eyes. “Yuugi!”

“I forgot,” he wailed. Eevee licked his cheek, but it didn’t do much to distract him. “I was trying to think of a name and I wanted to get her to the park and I _forgot_!” Honda and Jou stopped arguing to look at him, their faces alarmed.

“Well, damn,” Jou muttered. “What are you going to do? I can’t take her home for you, pal. Sorry.”

“I can’t either,” Anzu murmured. Miho shook her head.

“I’ll tell _Jii-chan_ ,” Yuugi assured them. He bit his lip. “Next time _Kaa-san’s_ out…I can hide her in my room until then…”

Understanding dawned on Anzu’s face. “That’s right, I forgot. Your mom doesn’t like pets.”

“My parents work in Celadon,” Honda said, licking his lips. “Maybe…I mean, they won’t be back until the weekend, so she could stay with me a couple days, you know? Until you get the opportunity to tell your grandfather.”

“Really? You would do that for me, Honda- _kun_?” Yuugi asked, vision blurring slightly. He blinked rapidly.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Honda assured him. “Just let me know when you want to pick her up. And you can come see her any time.”

“Thank you!” He half-launched himself over the table and grabbed Honda around the neck, pulling him into a hug. Honda yelped, then patted him on the back. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou—”

Miho giggled. “Yuugi, smothering Honda- _kun_ isn’t a good way to show gratitude.”

Yuugi flushed and let him go. “Sorry, Honda- _kun_.”

“It’s fine.” Honda rubbed the back of his neck. “Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t we come up with a name for Eevee- _chan_? That’ll make introducing her to Mutou- _san_ much easier.”

“That’s a great idea,” Jou said enthusiastically. “But, uh…why don’t we find a place to get a drink? It’s a little warm out today.”

Yuugi nodded. It was a little warmer than normal, and he was sure Eevee had it worse because of her fur. “There’s a new restaurant that just opened up,” he suggested. “BurgerWorld. I’ve been meaning to try there.”

“Yeah, they already have a pretty good reputation,” Anzu said thoughtfully. “I heard they have a Pecha smoothie that’s to die for.”

“Sounds like it’s settled, then,” Jou said. They stood to go, and Yuugi let Eevee down to walk next to them.

They were silent as they walked, until Miho broke it was a soft hum. “Hey Yuugi…Eevee’s a pretty rare card, right? What about Takara? With the kanji for ‘treasure’.”

Eevee made a face, and Yuugi giggled helplessly. She looked like she had just swallowed a mouthful of vinegar. “Not that one, I guess…hey, if you want to evolve into Vaporeon, we could name you Yoko! We could write it as ‘ocean child’.” Eevee shook her head. “Alright…”

“Well, it’s spring time,” Jou pointed out. “What about Sakiko? For ‘flower child’.” Eevee tilted her head, as if considering it, but ultimately shook it, tail twitching.

Honda was the next to speak up, after a few more minutes of silent walking. “Akemi can be written as ‘bright and beautiful’. That’s an auspicious name.” She almost seemed happy with that one, but shook her head eventually. “I guess you’re more cute, anyway…” Eevee yipped at him, and he held his hands up. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way!”

“Hey, what about Megumi?” Anzu asked. She smiled at Eevee and Yuugi. “It can be written to mean ‘love and affection’. I think that fits her really well.” 

Yuugi looked down at Eevee. “What do you think?”

Eevee seemed to think it over for a minute. Then she wagged her tail once, ears pricked. “Vee!”

“I think she approves.” Yuugi smiled brightly. “Thanks, Anzu.”

“It’s no problem!” She reached down and rubbed the newly-named Megumi’s ears. “I’m just glad Megumi- _chan_ likes her new name.”

“Awesome!” Jou cheered. “Good timing too—we’re here! Let’s celebrate!”


	5. Jiro the Jorogumo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuugi and his friends run into Jiro the Jorogumo, and Megumi has her first battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this is late. I got stuck on how to write this chapter. Couple things: First, this took an unexpectedly dark turn. Trigger warning for a Pokemon's death. Second, the first major deviation in canon. If you aren't familiar with Season 0 or the manga, you may not recognize it.

The restaurant staff were very kind about letting them bring Megumi inside with them, as long as she didn’t try to jump up on the table. They ordered drinks and fries to share and settled into a booth near the door—Yuugi really wanted to try one of their hamburgers because they already had such a great reputation, but his mother would kill him if he ruined his dinner. Though he _did_ order her a hamburger and picked off the bun so she could eat with them.

Yuugi leaned back against the booth, the Millennium Puzzle a comforting weight against his chest, and smiled. It was good. His friends laughed and joked and traded cards and they knew about Megumi now, so she was included. Could be included from then on. The Puzzle had really granted his wish in every possible way—he and Anzu had truly reconnected, and he had new friends in the way of Jou, Honda, Miho, and Megumi. He had friends he could count on. Happiness bubbled in his chest, and the Puzzle felt warm even through his shirt.

After they had finished off the fries, they all settled back in their seats. Megumi was curled into a ball under the table, right between Yuugi and Miho’s feet, working in a post-meal nap. The restaurant door slid open to admit yet another customer. They should probably go soon, Yuugi thought. It was almost time for the dinner rush.

A commanding voice made Yuugi turn, curiosity getting the better of him. A tall, stern-looking man in a brown overcoat was talking to BurgerWorld’s manager, flanked by two police officers. The man in the brown jacket looked familiar. Yuugi frowned, trying to remember where it was he had seen him—ah, the news! That was it. He had seen the man on the news. He was the chief of police. But what was he doing here, Yuugi wondered.

The manager nodded and stepped back. The three police officers turned to look at the half-full dining room and the chief stepped forward.

“If I may have your attention, please,” he called, his voice calm and clear. “We are searching for a suspect who was last seen in this area. The suspect sustained a leg injury. I must ask you all to sit with your legs facing the aisle so we may search for this suspect.”

It seemed odd, Yuugi decided, that they were going about it this way. He almost wanted to say no just on principle. But the other customers didn’t seem to have much problem with it…he looked at his friends, his discomfort mirrored in their expressions.

“Bad idea to tell them no,” Anzu murmured. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Jou sighed. He looked distinctly unhappy, though. “We should spread out a bit.”

Yuugi nodded and slid out of his seat. He was on the end of one booth, while Jou had been directly across from him, so they moved to the booth next to theirs so the officers would have an easier time searching. The sooner this was over with, the happier they would all be, Yuugi thought. 

The officer that approached them was a young woman with hair so dark it appeared blue. Yuugi had no idea if it was natural or dyed like his. She smiled at him as she checked, probably to take the edge off an already tense situation, Yuugi thought.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” she said, before moving on to the next booth.

The only hiccup in the search was a loudly-dressed young man near the back of the diner, his feet propped up on the table top, hands locked behind his neck. 

“Sir, please cooperate,” the manager begged him. “You cannot have your feet on the table—it’s a health violation, we could be shut down!”

“Why should I care?” the man snorted, grinning sharply. His jacket was bright red, his head was covered by an equally brightly-colored beanie, and he wore sunglasses even though they were inside.

“Sir, if you would be so kind as to put your feet down, we can continue our search and move on,” one officer said, her voice polite but still firm. It was the officer who had searched them, Yuugi realized. 

“And what’re you gonna do if I don’t?” the man said, sneering at her. He didn’t move.

She pursed her lips and propped one hand on her hip…then smiled. “What’s the matter?” she asked slyly. “You aren’t hiding anything, are you? Because right now you’re interfering with a police investigation, and we’re trying very hard to capture a very dangerous man. You saw the prison escape in the newspaper? Jiro the Jorogumo? It’s _him_ we’re looking for. And if you don’t want to be searched, that just means you’re hiding something. Like a bruise. Should we take you to the station?” The man froze, mouth slackening. “No? So let me tell you how this goes—first, you put your feet down, like a civilized person. Next, you lift your pant legs so we can check for a bruise. If you don’t, I have to assume you’re hiding something and take you in.” She leaned forward slightly, eyes hard. “Got it?”

“Fine, you insufferable _bitch _,” the man snarled, slamming his feet onto the ground.__

__“My name is Officer Junsar,” she said sharply, her smile dropping away. “You’ll remember it.” She nodded at his legs. “Now, lift your pant legs. Please.”_ _

__“String Shot.”_ _

__“What—?”_ _

__Something scuttled out from under the hem of the man’s jacket, something green and with _too many legs_ , and shot a thick white streamer at Officer Junsar’s face with an odd hiss. She barely got her arms up in time to block it, but it still wrapped around her arms, shoulders, and head. She flailed, but the rope-like substance didn’t break. _ _

__It crawled onto the table, where it was more easily seen, and customers started screaming._ _

__“What is this?” The police chief turned. He wasn’t fast enough to avoid the green spider, which immediately set about entangling him and the other officer._ _

__Not a spider, Yuugi thought numbly, heart thudding in his chest. A spinarak. He recognized the markings on the large green body from a teaser in a magazine about the upcoming expansion. The artwork had made it look almost cute, but in reality it was _way too spider-like—!__ _

__And how were the police supposed to even deal with this? Less than a minute, and all three were completely disabled and incapable of reaching their guns._ _

__The stranger grabbed Officer Junsar’s gun with one hand and her upper arm with the other, shoving her down. She hit the floor with a dull thud. He fired into the ceiling. “Everybody on the ground, now!”_ _

__Yuugi froze, only moving when Jou grabbed his collar and tugged at him. He lowered himself slowly down next to his friend, eyes wide. He could just see Megumi, still under their original table, crouched in a shadowy corner. Clearly the noise and commotion had spooked her. She looked at him and started to go over to him, belly so low her fur swept the ground, but he shook his head, making her pause._ _

__“Today’s a good day,” the man boasted. He laughed, gun still pointed up, and walked down the aisle. “Got a drop on the police and everything!” The spinarak clicked its pincers together. “Let’s see, now…” Heavy boots stopped in front of Yuugi’s face. “You, short stack. Get up.”_ _

__He started to push himself carefully upright, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. There was a muffled squeak somewhere next to him._ _

__“What’s the matter, girlie?” Please don’t let it be Miho or Anzu, Yuugi prayed. He glanced over and swallowed a groan; Anzu had Miho’s hand slapped over her mouth. “Don’t like him getting the attention?” The man grabbed Anzu and dragged her upright. “Don’t worry, cutie. Your friend is gonna bring us a couple drinks, and then we can get to know each other.” He pointed the gun carelessly at Yuugi. “Go to the kitchen and bring me back the strongest vodka they have. I wanna celebrate my good fortune.” When Yuugi didn’t immediately move, he glared. “What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Scram!”_ _

__Yuugi fled to the kitchen, his heart pounding in his chest. What should he do now? He was fairly confident that Megumi could take on that spinarak, but that guy had a gun. He could shoot her before either of them made a move. And the spinarak stacked things in his favor, as well, since he could now incapacitate anyone who got too close._ _

__He quickly found a tray and the alcohol. Right now his best option seemed to be to play along…but he didn’t particularly like that, either. The terrified look on Anzu’s face flashed in front of his eyes, and he felt sick. What to do, what to do—_ _

__Somewhere between that thought and reaching for the bottle of Everclear, his vision went black.__

__* * *_ _

__He woke up in completely unfamiliar surroundings. He looked around, frowning. Everything was shiny metal and there were several bottles of alcohol in front of him. He poked at Yuugi’s most recent thoughts and scowled._  
_

__Yuugi and his friends had gone out—what on Earth was a BurgerWorld?—and someone with a weapon was holding everyone hostage. And a spinarak, he amended. The spinarak would be more of a problem than the gun, to be honest—he could use shadow magic to jam it, whereas Pokemon had always been somewhat resistant to direct damage from spells. But Megumi was also there, so she could probably take care of it. He made a note to cast a diagnostic spell the next time he had Megumi to himself—if his _hikari _had a habit of attracting trouble, Megumi would be able to keep him safe, but they would need to know what she was capable of.___ _

____No wonder his _hikari_ had been so worked up, though. The man had picked Anzu to “get to know,” on top of the hold-up and having a gun pointed at him. Yuugi had a soft spot for her, the type that came from knowing someone a long time and having them be your closest non-familial relationship. _ _ _ _

____Well then, he decided, he would fix that. He picked up the bottle he had woken up reaching for—the label said it was “Everclear,” what was that? A brand of vodka, but what was that?—and set it carefully on the tray, along with a shot glass. He turned his thoughts on what to do, thinking through his options lightning-fast—should he call a Shadow Game? The Shadows shivered in delight at the possibility. But would it be safer to just call a battle? There were so many witnesses, after all, who would have no idea what Shadow Magic was. Maybe make the battle a Shadow Game? Not ideal; the Shadows were unpredictable at best when it came to Pokemon._ _ _ _

____Actually, maybe his original thought was the best one. He picked the tray up carefully and carried it out, trying not to let the bottle wobble too much. He didn’t want to provoke the man—Jiro the Jorogumo, according to the paper Yuugi had read—into doing something drastic just because the bottle fell and broke._ _ _ _

____Jiro was sitting in a booth, scowling in his direction when he walked out, one arm resting on the table while the other, the one that held the gun, was slung around Anzu’s shoulders. She sat at the end of the bench, hunched in on herself, her eyes covered in a sticky layer of Spinarak’s webbing. He wrinkled his nose slightly—he remembered having it catch in his hair during a training session, remembered how it had pulled and someone finally ended up cutting it out (who? When? Where?)._ _ _ _

____He set the tray on the table. Jiro’s lips twisted into a snarl. “The hell took you so long, pipsqueak?”_ _ _ _

____Anzu looked up. “Yuugi?”_ _ _ _

____“You requested the strongest vodka the restaurant carried.” He slid into the bench opposite them. “It took a moment to find it.”_ _ _ _

____Anzu’s face twisted in confusion at his voice. Did he really sound so different from his _hikari?_ He had never heard the boy’s voice for himself, so he didn’t know. “You’re not…”_ _ _ _

____“Shut up, girl,” Jiro growled. “What are you doing, beansprout?”_ _ _ _

____“I wanted to talk to you.” He tilted his head, ignoring the pathetically weak insult. “You seem interesting.” His Shadows laughed at the blatant lie, sparking an almost alien amusement in his belly, but the insect didn’t seem to notice. Hm. He knew the Shadows had been locked away with him, but had it really been so long that no one had any kind of sensitivity to them? How long must that take?_ _ _ _

____“If you got something to say, then spit it out and leave.”_ _ _ _

____He glanced at Jiro’s gun. A Shadow rose up and wrapped around it, stuffing itself into various crevices and thickening into an almost glue-like substance, brushing Anzu’s arm in the process. She shivered at the brief contact. Interesting. He sent another to brush against Megumi, tugging her at gently until he had her attention._ _ _ _

____“You have a spinarak.”_ _ _ _

____“A—what?” Jiro shook his head and snapped, “What about it?”_ _ _ _

____He held Jiro’s attention completely, using a just a touch of Shadow Magic to make what he was saying irresistible to listen to. Megumi crawled forward. He glanced at her, then flicked his eyes to the spinarak that sat on the back of Jiro’s booth._ _ _ _

____“Do you know what someone is called when they train a Pokemon for battle?” Jiro cautiously shook his head. “The term, once upon a time, was ‘beast master,’ but I believe the modern game calls them ‘trainers.’ Do you know what happens when two trainers meet?” Another head shake, and he smirked. “Their Pokemon battle.”_ _ _ _

____“Veeee!” Megumi took the hint and threw herself at the spinarak. Several of the patrons screamed, including Anzu, who ducked down._ _ _ _

____“The hell?!” Jiro ducked, then straightened and leveled the gun at his face. “Now you fucking die!” He cocked the gun._ _ _ _

____Or tried. He smiled as Jiro tried again and again, the insect’s face slowly sliding from rage to horror. He slid from his seat, took Anzu’s hand, and tugged her up. “Let’s get out of here.”_ _ _ _

____“Like hell you’re leaving!” The insect grabbed her, pulling her back, and smashed the handle of the gun toward his face. He leaned away from the sloppily-executed move, but it still forced him to let Anzu go. She flailed her arms to get her balance, hitting Jiro in the face. He steadied her and pulled her out of the insect’s reach._ _ _ _

____A glance toward Megumi showed she was doing alright—not exactly _well_ , she didn’t seem to have any battle experience at all, but instinct had her dealing as much damage as she received, at least. And, judging by the splotches of web on the floor, she was managing to dodge at least some of the attacks, but she was tiring; she was panting and her movements were slower._ _ _ _

____“Are you alright?” he murmured, leading her a bit further away. Anzu nodded, cheeks reddening. He fought the urge to cringe and hoped she wouldn’t turn out to be one of those simpering girls who always—he mentally snorted when the memory cut off. Eventually, he would have to investigate that—every time he got close to remembering something, anything more concrete than the vague thoughts that popped up automatically, it disappeared. “Let’s go—”_ _ _ _

____Of course, the insect wasn’t about to give up. Apparently having realized the gun wasn’t going to work, Jiro had abandoned it on the table and launched himself at them, swinging for his face._ _ _ _

____The hit connected, and all he saw was darkness.____

___* * *_ _ _

___Yuugi stumbled back, his ears ringing. A few moments later and his face started to throb. Anzu screamed from next to him—he looked to make sure she was alright, and it looked like she had hit another table pretty hard._  
_  
_

____What had happened? The last thing he remembered was being in the kitchen, getting the vodka. But now he was in the dining room. He yelped and dodged the next hit almost automatically, his experiences with bullies fueling his reaction._ _ _ _

____“Hold still, shrimp,” Jiro snarled, chasing after him. “Shouldn’t’ve played the fucking hero, brat!”_ _ _ _

____Yuugi’s breaths were fast and shallow, his chest too tight, too _tight!_ Darkness ate at the edges of his vision, and he shook his head to clear it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about—”_ _ _ _

____“Shut up!”_ _ _ _

____The darkness swallowed him whole.____

___* * *_ _ _

___He hissed as his eyes opened back up, his right cheek aching, just in time to dodge another hit. Like _hell_ was he going to let Yuugi face this insignificant insect!_  
_  
_

____Still, insects were capable of biting, as this one proved, even if ultimately they were only a mere annoyance. He narrowed his eyes. The best way to deal with a biting insect, much like the bug-type Pokemon that sometimes attacked the fields, was with fire._ _ _ _

____He dodged the next attack and, his body acting before he could consciously decide his next move, shoved Jiro backwards at the same time he swept the insect’s feet out from under him. The man landed in a pile of webbing left behind from Megumi and Spinarak’s battle. Jiro struggled to get upright, his face twisted with fury, cursing him with every horrible name and misfortune he could think of, but it held Jiro fast, covering his back and arms and holding like glue._ _ _ _

____The Shadows hissed and snapped, a reflection of his own fury at Jiro’s attacks. They were hungry—Ushio’s punishment was entirely psychological and hadn’t allowed them to feed—and this man was a danger to him. Their fury deepened his own until it ate at him, leaving him trembling, but he still held back._ _ _ _

_____He is a danger_ , they insisted, displeased with his hesitance._ _ _ _

_____We are angry that he attacked you, our lord_ , they whispered, snapping in Jiro’s direction._ _ _ _

_____We are so very_ hungry, they whined pitifully, brushing against him like a begging purrloin._ _ _ _

____“Insects like you deserve to burn,” he hissed. Feed, he told them, finally relenting. Burn his soul away. Slick, dark gratitude rose in his chest, a reflection of his Shadows’._ _ _ _

____A multitude of Shadows, each tinted a different color, rose and engulfed the trapped man, worming their way in through eyes and ears and nose and mouth. Jiro gagged, briefly able to feel them just because of the sheer volume, before taking a deep, ragged breath._ _ _ _

____Then the insect started to scream.____

___* * *_ _ _

___Yuugi’s vision cleared, and he stumbled, this time from the sheer overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. His vision was blurry._  
_  
_

____“Help!”_ _ _ _

____He shook his head to clear it, vaguely remembering having to do that earlier. His face ached. He reached up to touch his right cheek, hissing when pain flared under his fingers._ _ _ _

____“I’m on fire! Help me, someone, please!”_ _ _ _

____His eyes snapped to the man who was screaming—Jiro, who was lying on the floor, thrashing. He seemed stuck._ _ _ _

____Yuugi stumbled backward. The man wasn’t on fire, didn’t even look singed, but his screams and desperate pleas made him feel sick. He needed to-to—he looked around desperately, searching for something or someone who could help. Muffled cursing drew his attention to Officer Junsar, who was still wrapped in webbing, and he rushed over to her, helping tear the webs away._ _ _ _

____“Officer Junsar!” Once he had gotten some of it off, she was able to tear through the rest herself._ _ _ _

____She looked at him, then at the screaming, twitching form of Jiro. “Kid, what happened?”_ _ _ _

____Yuugi flinched. “I don’t know.”_ _ _ _

____“Yuugi!”_ _ _ _

____Anzu grabbed him in a hug. She still had traces of web on her face, around her eyes, and a few gummed-up strands of hair, but she didn’t seem to care about that._ _ _ _

____“Was that you?” she whispered, as Officer Junsar stood to check on Jiro. He was vaguely aware of her calling for an ambulance._ _ _ _

____“Was what me?” he whispered back. His stomach twisted._ _ _ _

____She never got a chance to answer. The others ran to them, and she didn’t seem to want to ask with them there. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, either._ _ _ _

____“Wh-where’s Megumi?” he asked, eyes widening when she didn’t come out from under the table._ _ _ _

____“I think she jumped that spinarak,” Jou told him grimly. He nodded to a space past Jiro and Officer Junsar._ _ _ _

____The eevee stood, panting, over the spinarak. Her fur was dirty, and a particularly bad cut dripped blood down her leg, leaving a thin trail across the floor, tracing the path of their battle haphazardly down the aisle._ _ _ _

____The spinarak laid on its back, its remaining six legs curled inward, covered in scuffs, dents, and scratches. One detached leg lay in the middle of the floor, while another poked out from under a table, and its head was partially separated from its body._ _ _ _

____He stumbled over to her, his legs refusing to work properly, and carefully picked her up. He wanted to be sick. He wanted to run away screaming. He wanted to cry._ _ _ _

____He petted her carefully, running one hand over her to find any other major wounds that might be hidden by her fur. She slumped against his chest, clearly exhausted and hurting, and he fought back the sob that threatened to break free._ _ _ _

____In the game you fought until your opponent was unconscious, and there were even cards that could revive your teammate to fight again. It was always specified in the rule book—unconsciousness. He had thought, somewhere in the back of his head, that if Megumi had to fight it would be the same way. Fight to unconsciousness. Wake up and heal and fight another day._ _ _ _

____But this…he hadn’t expected this. Fighting to unconsciousness clearly wasn’t the default, and he could tell very well why she had ripped her opponent apart like that. He wasn’t a fool; he had seen the placement of some of the cuts and felt the others, all in areas that were vital—several around her neck and along her spine, and a shallow cut on her belly._ _ _ _

____He almost lost her, and he didn’t want that to happen again._ _ _ _


End file.
